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Scared to sleep

Why am I so scared to sleep? its like everytime i start to get tired I get scared to sleep...I think Im going to die in my sleep.  HELP.
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284558 tn?1225606992
i am like that are you on any meds?i have to take mine that one of my anxietys and it sucks.what do u do to help you go to sleep?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have the same fears!! I have to take xanax to make it go away. Do you have rapid heart beats or any other symptoms if so it could be panic attacks! Have you been under stress?
P.S you are not useless
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Avatar universal
i also used to have this but i just trie to do something real boring like reading the dictionary to make me super tired and then my body felt to weak to even freak out so i finally fell to sleep
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287037 tn?1232923202
Oh yes, I have this too! Not all the time, but I know how scary it is.  What usually works for me is to think of something else....I will close my eyes and think of some project I need to do around the house.  Like I'll think about painting the living room and rearranging the furniture. It will keep my mind busy, trying to decide what color would look best on the walls, how the furniture should go, etc and usually I'll fall asleep while thinking about it. ;)

Charity
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Avatar universal
hello there,
is this sleeping problem your speaking of  LIKE WAKING UP UPON DOZING WITH YOUR HEART AS THOUGH IT STOPPED? i can talk on phoe read bible or? laying there but as soon as im dozing off i wake up like my heart stopped & re-started, i can feel it pumping, it goes really FAST then REALLY SLOW. all night i fight my sleep until like 6 am then i just fall asleep as normal. IT is SO SCARY. I am SO WORRIED.
i was in the er. with my mom one night & asked the Dr. she said its Anxiety.. Do you have anxiety? I am really worried....thanks & God Bless.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi,

Try to think back when you first had the fear of sleeping. What happened, did you have palpitations before sleeping - this could mean you were anxious and haven't done your relaxation before going to sleep . Did you find yourself woken up by palpitations - this could be a panic attack during sleep - you may have had a nightmare.

Did you wake up because you couldn't breathe - this could mean sleep apnea or some side effects from any medication you may be taking which may be supressing your breathing . Some sleep aids can really cause breathing problems.

I suspect one of these above may have triggered a fear and now you are anxious falling asleep which is understandable. So see whether you can trace the origins , it may help overcome the problem you are facing. You may wish to consult a sleep specialist if you need extra help.

Hope this helps.

Helpful - 0
460185 tn?1326077772
There have been times when I feel myself falling asleep - and that's what it feels like FALLING asleep - when my rational mind says "everything is slowing down because that is what happens when you go to sleep" but my anxiety-filled self says "no, you're dying" which is how I interpret what you have said.  Sometimes the fear of sleeping lasts for a week or even longer.  My shrink won't give me sleeping pills and during these "episodes" I am too afraid to even take a minor tranquillizer or OTC headache meds.  It can be devestating.

I don't know of any way to alleviate this except for talking to my shrink or other people  about it.  Eventually the "rational" part will emerge and tell you that you are not going to die.  Don't know if it's any help or not but I watch TV a lot during these "episodes" and sleep if someone is around to keep an eye on me .... just in case.  It makes me feel somewhat safer.

Sleeping can be scary for anxious folks because we are giving up what little control we have and the analogy of sleep to death doesn't help any.  If you are really concerned that it might be physical, you can go to your dr and see what he/she says.

lonewolf

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494087 tn?1257793207
Most of the time when I lay down and try to go to sleep, I will feel like I cant swollow or breath and then I start to really panic.  I take remeron 60mg and klonopin 2mg at night to help me sleep, but that takes a while to work.  Does anyone else have this problem?
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Avatar universal
the past 3 or 4 days all hours i wake up cuz i cant keep my self asleep cuz i freak out like if i stay asleep i wont wake so i get up at like 8 every mornin with my body feeling like i havent been to sleep and i start all over again panicing my muscles are heavy and i just get nervous to sleep does anyone know what that could be
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Avatar universal
Seems like I am not alone here. I go to bed with the fear I am going to die in my sleep. My heart is racing. I wake up suddenly thinking I have died. I have even sat up and looked back at wear I am laying, thinking I am looking back at my body. I feel I should go to the doctors but feel daft!
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Avatar universal
I have the same kind of troubles too, thought slightly different since I'm terrified about not sleeping. My heart starts racing and I go into a kind of panic. I've had this for years and I don't know how to calm myself down.
Helpful - 0
580734 tn?1217937235
Before jumping into the pharmocology pool.  Go have a sleep study done, its very easy and non invasive.  Many sleep disorders manifest themselves in different ways.  Sleep Apnea for instance, or RLS (aka jumpy leg disease).  You get to a point where your body doent want to sleep because it has to deal with these issues
Helpful - 0
655242 tn?1229472744
This happened to me when I was 18...it was my first dose of anxiety/panic.  I was so scared to go to sleep that I started sleeping with my mom because I was scared to sleep in my own bed alone.  She was really worried about me but in the end all turned out to me anxiety.  I have been on meds ever since then...I am 27 now.  I still do this every now and then but I have xanax now so I just take some and it makes me pass out.  I do tend to have anxiety attacks right before bed which I thought was interesting.  I wonder if that is because my meds are starting to wear off for the day.

Anyways...I say a prayer every night before I go to sleep and it actually calms me down...you know "Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the lord my soul to keep.  If I die before I wake I pray the lord my soul to take.  God bless (whomever you want to bless)."  I am really not a religious person so no clue why this helps me but it does.

Learned this when I was a kid (as I am sure others did as well) and if my fiance knew I did this every night he would probably laugh his butt off.  On my way to work every morning I also thank god for giving me the day to enjoy and live (even with this horrible anxiety).    

Sometimes if I am having really bad anxiety I will wish on a star...stupid I know but when I was a kid my parents told me that when you die you become a star.  I always find my grandmother and make a wish.  (When she passed all my anxiety started so I always ask her for help to get me through)  

Ok now that I have embarrassed myself telling you all these childish things I do and I am 27 and have a 4 year old daughter of my own...I am gonna go...LOL

Bye everyone and hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!!!!
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733698 tn?1231781021
wow, Im so glad I typed in scared to go to sleep in google. I thought I was alone. Im 24 years old and still have people watch me sleep sometimes. It is so sad lol. Sometimes I think my heart will stop but most of the time I think Im going to stop breathing. I have pills to take, but i have anxiety about taking pills. lol. so i stay up but then i have anxiety about not getting enough sleep. my mind just wont give me a break.  I work in a hospital and see doctors and nurses making fun of people with panic attacks all the time. Some people just dont understand. anxiety is so terrible. I can handle some of the scariest  things in life but I cant handle my own mind. the only thing I find that helps is falling asleep to something you are comfortable with. I watch the simpsons lol. I guess its because I watched them when I was a kid. I hope to find  a wife someday that has the same problem. That way we could just lay in bed and panic together.lol  I know that sounds dumb, but just talking to somebody that has the problem would be so great.
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Avatar universal
has anyone lost a loved one any time soon?.all these things has happened to me since my father passed away and i somehow feel this is connected.i used to make my wife stay awake until i fell asleep because i thought i was going to die. i know certain foods contribute somehow. i have the rapid heart beat,i heat up and sweat,get gassy,jittery feeling.sometimes in the day now i get this rapid ,pounding heart beat this is the worst of it lately.
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527657 tn?1214051850
i take two 1mg of ativan plus 20 mg of paxil and on my own I take 2 tylenol pms.  i then can fall asleep.  I just have always had a hard time sleeping i use to drink but I can no longer do that im an acholohlic.  I will die if I drink again.  So tylenol pm it is for me, anyone else use this?
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Avatar universal
Wow I thank all you guys. you guys have helped me so much. I can honestly say I pointed out about 4 or 5 similar symptoms that I suffer from. I wish I knew what all this is called maybe then ill have a better way of explaining to people what im suffering from. its litereally about to be 4 am in nyc lol.

I don't know if im the only one suffering from this, but along with this disorder that we're all suffering from, everytime I wake up certain little things happen and it makes you feel like its your last day.. and you feel as tho when u go to sleep "This is it" is it just me?

I really want to go to a doctor for this but until my insurance clears up im litereally stuck been dealing with this for months now nd I HATE it.
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Avatar universal
I am 26 years old and the mother of an 8 year old daughter! About 4 years ago I experienced my first panic attack at work! It was my first bartending job and as soon as the bar got packed I started to feel like my throat was closing up and I couldn't breathe! For a while after that they stopped and recently they have started back! 10 TIMES WORSE THAN BEFORE!! I have been on Ativan and have found that to work really well! However now I have just started to experience waking up every 20 minutes or so in my sleep with the fear of dying and not being able to wake back up! Ughhhh it is driving me insane! Any ideas on what to do other than taking meds? Tylenol PMS do not work either! I just do not want to have to take another pill! Thank you and GOD BLESS!!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You may have a slight degree of Mitral Valve Prolapse. This is where the mitral valve in your heart does not close fully and a tiny bit of blood squirts back into the left atrium. Maybe as much as one in five people have this, most being unaware. A good GP can diagnose this with a stethoscope and a Cardiologist will see it on an ECG.

Most often it is not life-threatening, not even life changing. There is a causal link (not understood) to anxiety of the type you describe. Occasionally it might cause the feeling of ectopic (skipped) heart beats, etc. etc. The temptation to resort to medication should in general be resisted, as they will do little but put you on a pharmacological roller-coaster.

A balanced diet, a sensible exercise regime and an engaged (busy & fulfilling) lifestyle should help you to cope with this problem. It will take time, and might seem worse at the beginning, but could constitute a long-term solution.

NOTE: This is a personal opinion of your condition and does not consist of or should be construed as medical advice. You should consult your personal physician before commencing or ceasing any course of treatment.
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Avatar universal
I.get.like.that.EVERY.NIGHT!
its.really.hard.to.deal.with.
I.always.think.I.wont.wake.up.in.the.morning..
It.*****.
Couldn't.tell.ya.how.to.deal.with.it.
I'm.in.the.same.boat
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Avatar universal
I have this too - it's like just as I get that feeling that I am about to drop off, I wake myself up feeling like I'm panicing a little. I have to try to think about other things or read a book untill I can't keep my eyes open. Basically I fall asleep "by mistake" every night - when I've stopped noticing. Having said that, I sleep pretty well but I do get afraid of bedtime every night.
Really strange though - if I have a doze in the day I have no problem at all.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I had a dream I was back in 5th grade and it felt so real that in my dream the kid version of me had a panic attack because I thought I was really in the past and stuck there forever and then I woke up having a panic attack. I had to get up and look around and check the date before I calm down. Now I'm scared to go to sleep because I'm afraid I'll have that dream and not wake up ever! :(
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm not usually one to comment, but if it makes anyone feel better- I will tell you that you are not alone, and can overcome this! When I had emergency surgery at 18, for a ruptured ovarian cyst, all of my problems with anxiety started. I assume it's because for the first time in my life, I learned I was NOT invincible, my body could betry me without warning. Then, a year later I was diagnosed with Mitral Valvue Prolapse. Needless to say, I had to move back home with my parents (I was married!) and made my dad sit up with me almost every night. I was so afraid to sleep, because I was certain that I would die- since if anything went wrong I wouldn't be awake to notice. This feeling resulted in my heart racing, skipping beats, sweating, chest pain- and then, I was certain I WAS dying. My dad would drive me to the ER at least 3-4 times per week- nearly as soon as I got in the car, I would settle down. By the time I'd get an EKG, I was totally over the attack. Just knowning I was "safe" at the hospital was good enough. Luckily I was military, lived less than a mile from the base, and had free medical care. If not, I'd be bankrupt.
I had every heart test known to the medical community done. I have also had MRI's, CT scans, etc-- because I've been certain that I had a brain tumor due to headaches, that my ovary was going to rupture at every cramp, or that any "foggy" feeling meant I was dying.
I'm nearly 34 now, and always blessed with free/cheap medical care to alleviate any phobia that may come along.
The bottom line? Remind yourself that if you were having a heart attack, you would already be dead- and that there is no such thing as a "transient heart attack" that comes and goes as it pleases. Let yourself enjoy the advice my old family practice doctor gave to me- which is "The vast majority of brain tumors are painless- as the brain has no nerves within it" Additionally, a brain anyeurism (sp?) will kill you rather quickly- so those sharp "icepick" pains in your head that come and go from time to time? Yeah- not a blood vessel bursting... or you'd be dead!

I understand that telling yourself how silly you are is not much help when you are having anxiety- I've battled it for nearly 15 years- and when it started for me, the doctors didn't even consider anxiety or panic- so they would give me a diagnosis that just gave me more to worry about.

I guess I just find it helpful to rationalize. I used to find it helpful to medicate with xanax at bedtime (.25 to go to sleep) I thought it was the best medication on earth, and couldn't understand why everyone wasn't taking it- literally, my favorite phrase was "dude, you need a xanax!"
That worked well for the past two years- until the last 6 months when I started to "panick" that I was losing my mental faculties- short term memory loss, lack of coordination, difficulty find "words" to describe something, and having to resort to "simple" or uneducated terms. I lost my 6 figure job as a result of not being able to contribute with strategic thinking anymore- I couldn't focus, concentrate or stay on track.
That lead me to termporarily thinking xanax during the day was a good idea as well, until I friend shared with me the side effects of xanax that I was NOT aware of- especially the memory loss, agitation, irritability (when it wore off).
I quit taking the xanax, and yes- it's VERY hard to go to sleep now- but I just keep persisting with Melatonin, and reminding myself that my last heart ultrasound showed no change from the one 4 years ago, and that I'm less likey to die in my sleep than my husband laying next to me snoring, who seems to "choke" and stop breathing every now and then. ;-)
Best to you all! Since most anxiety sufferers also tend to be chronic "control freaks'-- try doing what I do- reminding myself that my panic attack is "mind over matter", and that I can control it if I want. I don't know if it will work for you, but the control freak in me really likes that!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It's good to not be alone on this but I wouldn't wish it on anyone. It's 1 am and I can't even lay down in my bed without getting very anxious. It is horrible.

On 9/8/09 I quit smoking ...cold turkey. In less than 2 months I gained 15 lbs. Evidently, that extra body weight was enough to make me have sleep apnea. At least, that's what much googling has lead me to believe. Thank gawd for the internet!

When sleeping, my airway will sometimes close up and I'll stop breathing. I am jolted awake with severe panic... probably from the adrenaline my brain has just shot into my body to make me wake up and BREATHE!

Over the past 5-7 days my bedtime anxiety is getting r-e-a-l-l-y bad. Now, I'm at the point that I can't even lay down without freaking out. I'm very tired but I'm wide awake because of the anxiety.

I'll have to lose these 15-20 lbs and hopefully, will be able to sleep again.

I have had situational anxiety much of my life but never about sleeping.

Ok back to googling "scred to sleep"
Helpful - 0
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